Rocker support device



Filed Sept. 17, 1959 March 14, 1961 H. MCCLELLAN 2,974,719 ROCKER SUPPORT DEVICE 2 Shets-Sheet 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1959 INVENTOR. 1Y Clellan.

-Ed S a es Patent" ROCKER SUPPORT DEVICE Howard McClellan, 4250 N. Sacramento, Chicago 18, Ill.

Filed Sept. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 840,645

13 Claims. (Cl. 155-17) in a childrens chair.

It is always desirable to provide for easy storage of the toys and the like used by children. For this reason it is desirable to provide a rocking support such as that shown in my above referred to patent which may be folded and converted into a substantially flat package which is adapted to be easily stored.

It is also desirable under some circumstances to be.

able to prevent rocking in my support so that the chair or the like may be held in a substantially steady position even though the child is seated therein. This has many obvious advantages. For one, the support can then be used as a perambulator in which a child may move himself about, or in which an adult can push the child.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a foldable rocking support such as described above.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a rocking support such as described above which has a steadying feature. 1

It is yet another object of this invention to provide 'a foldable rocking support which comprises a body supporting member, rigid means which are adapted to support a portion of the body supporting member, spring means which are adapted to support another portion of the body supporting member, and a collapsible frame which has the rigid means and the spring means connected thereto, the frame being adapted to support the body supporting member in a rocking position and to be folded with the body supporting member attached into a substantially'flat storage position.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a rocking support which comp-rises a body supporting member, rigid means which are adapted to support a portion of the body supporting member, spring means which are adapted to support another portion of the body supporting member, a frame which has the rigid means and the spring means connected thereto-to support the member'i'n arocking position, and means adapted to be positioned between the body supporting member and the frame for holding the member in a substantially steady position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the'followingdescription taken together with the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings: a

Figure l is a partial perspective support of this'invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial along theline 2--2 ofFig. 1-.

View of the rocking sectional view taken I Figure 3 is a partial side view of the rocking support Referring now to Figure 1, a rocking support 10 is shown therein which includes a frame member 11. The frame member 11 comprises a pair of generally U-shaped tubular sectional portions 12 and 13 which are overlapped at 12a and 13a and are pivotally connected together by pivot pins 14 which pass through each of the U-shaped members. A strengthening member or axle 15 passes through the Ushaped member 13 and has enlarged ends 16. A locking rod 17 is pivotally posi tioned across the mouth of the U-shaped member 12 and is connected to the member near its ends 12a by means of a hook shaped end portion 17a which grips the tubular U-shaped member 12 at 17b and 170. This grip allows the rod 17 to pivot about the gripping points 17b and 17c for locking purposes which will be described later.

A foot rest 18 is mounted across the bottom portion of the U-shaped section 12. The footrest includes a kick plate 19 and a pair of wheels 20. The wheels 20 are mounted on the support rods 21 and the kick plate is mounted on the support members 22. Both the support members 22 and the support rod 21 are attached to rotatable collars 23, which are mounted on the tubular U-shaped member 12. A set screw 41 is provided in each of the collars 23 which allows locking of the foot rest in the raised or operable position shown in Fig. l. The kick plate is then adapted to support the feet of the occupant and the wheels'allowthe support to be moved with ease. By loosening the set screws 41 the foot rest 18 may be flattened for folding by rotating it so that the wheels and the kick plate are substantially aligned with the tubular U-shaped member 12.

The seat member 24 is located about in the center of the support 1 0 and includes a seat back 25 and a seat bottom 26. The back 25 and bottom 26 are attached togetherby a pivot rod 27 which passes through the eyes 42a of an L-shaped' back supporting member 42. An L-shaped bottom bracket 28 is designed to extend up behind the seat back 25. When the seat is in an open position the bracket 28 abuts the back 25a. of the seat back 25 thus holding the seatbottom in the proper position. As is indicated at A in Figure 3, the seat may be folded up against the back.

.A pair of arms 29 are provided along the sides of the seat member 24. A bale shaped retaining rod 30 passes through the ends 29a of the arms 29 and is bent downwardly at 32 and outwardly at 34 to provide the rigid supporting rods 31. The ends of the supporting rod 31 pass through the frame 11 and have enlarged beads 33 holding them in place. This provides a pivotal connection of the rod 31 to its frame section 11. This construction allows the seat to pivot both at arms 29 and the frame 11. r I

As shown in the drawing, a pair of'curved coil springs 35 are disposed in inwardly tapering rearward angulation and have one end 35a connected to the extensions 13b of the frame 13 and the other end 35b connected to the ends of the arms 29. The structure isnot limited to coil springs, and other types such as zig-zag springs may be used. In order to make a sturdy connection the ends of'the frame extension 13b and its arms29 are I inserted into the interior of the. springs 35. A strap clamp 36 further passes around each of the springs and its arms 29. The seat mounting rod 38 passesthrough theeyes 42b on the back supporting member'42 and through the strap clamp 36. These ends: are threaded to receivetthe. butterfly nuts 37, which hold the; seatina PatentedMar. 14, 1961 body receiving position and lock the spring 35 on the arms 29.

A perambulator bale 39 is provided for use in converting the rocking support into a perambulator. The bale has a pair of wheels 40 mounted for rotation'on'the short axles 43 near the outer ends of the bale legs 39a. A pair of L-shaped slots 39a and 3% are provided near the middle and the end of the bale respectively. These slots are adapted to receive the bent portions 34 of the retaining rod 30 and ends a of the axle 15.

The bale 39 thus locks the rocking support in a substantially steady position since it limits spring action.

As is described in my above referred to patent, the rocking support, when in operable position, is designed to allow the operator to rockably move back and forth against the resilient support of the spring 35 rocking around the pivots of the retaining rods 30. When it is desirable to store the rocking support it may be converted into a substantially flat package. First the set screws 4-1 are loosened and the foot rest 18 flattened out. Next the seat bottom 26 is folded against the seat back and by loosening the butterfly nuts 37 the whole seat 24 is rotated into a substantially horizontal position. The locking rod 17 is then moved out from under the end 13a of the U-shaped frame section 13 and the frame section is'then allowed to pivot on the pins 14 into a position where it is substantially superposed over the U-shaped section 12. As can be seen in Figure 5, this provides a substantially flat rocking support member which may easily be stored in a restricted space.

In opening the support It) the opposite steps are taken.

The support 10 -of-this invention is maintained in operable position by thelocking rod 17. The rod 17 is positioned under-the'ends 13a of the section 13 and thus prevents the section 13 from folding under spring pressure into its normal position superposed over the section 11. Since the rod 17 pivots at 17b and 170 and has the portion 17d which is spaced from the line of pivot, it is adapted to be swung out of the way when its support is being opened from a folded position by the ends 1311 of the section 13. Thus, the ends 13a abut the rod 17, move it aside until the ends 13a are passed, at which time the rod 17 falls due to gravity under the section 13 and thus positively holds it against spring pressure. Grooves 13d in the underside of the tube sections 13b and 13c are shaped to receive the rod 17 in locking position.

If it is desirable to convert the rocking support into a substantially steady support, the perambulator bale 39 is added. Since this also provides Wheels at the four corners of the device, it also converts the support into a perambulator which may be pushed by the bale 39.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as some modifications willbe obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rocker arm means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; spring means under continuous downward tension when in operable position and including longitudinally bent coils adapted to support another portion of said member; and a collapsible frame having said rigid means and said spring means connected thereto, said frame being adapted to support said member in a rocking position and to be folded under the action of said spring means with said member attached into a substantially flat storage position, and a lock mounted on said frame to hold said spring means under continuous tension.

2. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion lapsible frame having said rigid rockable means and said spring connected thereto, said frame including folding sections and means for locking said sections in an operable position supporting said member in a rocking position against the uncurving force of said spring, said frame sections with said member attached also adapted to be folded into a substantially fiat storage position.

3. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; a pair of rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; a pair of curved coil springs disposed in inward tapering angulation and bent under continuous tension when in operable position connected to said member and adapted to support another portion thereof; and a collapsible frame having said rigid rockable means pivotally connected thereto and said springs connected thereto, said frame including pivotally folding sections and means for locking said sections in an operable position supporting said member in a rocking position against the unbending action of said springs, said frame sections with said member attached also adapted to be folded into a substantially flat storage position when said springs unbend.

4. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; a pair of rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; a pair of curved coil springs disposed in inward tapering angulation and under continuous tension when in operable position connected to said member and adapted to support another portion thereof; a collapsible frame including a pair of U-shaped sections, the legs of one section overlapping the legs of the other section and being pivotally connected thereto; and means for locking said section in an operable position including a rotatable bar having a portion spaced from its line of rotation, said bar being positioned for rotation across the legs of the first of said sections with said portion normally disposed in a locking position, said portion being displaceable by the legs of the other of said sections to allow the passage thereof as it is moved into operable position and thereafter said portion being adapted to move under said legs to prevent the return thereof, said springs being connected to said other of said sections normally urging it into a position substantially superposed over the first of said sections and said rigid rockable means being connected to said first section, said sections being adapted with said rigid rockable means and said springs attached to be folded into a substantially fiat storage position.

5. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid means adapted to support a portion of said member; bendable spring means adapted to support another portion of said member; and a colthereof;"a coil spring curved into continuoustension lapsible frame having said rigid means and said spring means connected thereto, said frame including folding sections and means for locking said sections in an operable position supporting said member in a rocking position and releasably holding said spring means in bent position, said frame sections with said member attached also being adapted to be folded into a substantially fiat storage position as said spring means unbend.

6. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid means adapted to support a portion of said member; bendable spring means when bent adapted to support a portion of said member; spring means adapted to support another portion of said member; and a collapsible frame including pivotally folding sections and means for releasably locking said sections in an operable position and releasably holding said spring means in bent position, said rigid means being pivotally connected to one of said sections and said spring means being connected to another of said sections, said frame sections with said rigid means and said spring means attached being adapted to be folded into a substantially flat storage position when said spring means unbends.

7. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid means adapted to support a portion of said member; spring means adapted to support another portion of said member; and a collapsible frame including a pair of pivotally folding overlapping U-shaped' sections and means for locking said sections in anoperable position including a movable bar positioned transversely thereto and adapted to be fit under the overlapping portion of the first of said pair, said spring means being connected to said first of said pair and said rigid means being connected to the other of said pair, said sections with said rigid means and said spring means attached being adapted to be folded into a substantially flat storage position.

8. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid means adapted to support a portion of said member; spring means adapted to support another portion of said member; a collapsible frame including a pair of U-shaped sections, the legs of one section overlapping the legs of the other section and being pivotally connected thereto; and means for locking said sections in an operable position including a rotatable bar having a portion spaced from its line of rotation, said bar being positioned for rotation across the legs of the first of said sections with said portion normally disposed in a locking position, said portion being displaceable by the legs of the other of said sections to allow the passage thereof as said last mentioned legs are moved into operable position and thereafter said portion being adapted to be moved under said legs to prevent the return thereof, said spring means being connected'to said other of said sections normally urging it into a position substantially superposed over the first of said sections and said rigid means being connected to said first section; said sections with said rigid means and said spring means connected rigid rockable means to said member and the other end of each being adapted to be removably attached to said frame adjacent the connection of said springs thereto, said bars being adapted to hold said member in a substantially steady position.

11. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid means adapted to support a portion of said member; spring means when under tension adapted to support another portion of said member; a collapsible frame having said rigid means and said spring means connected thereto, said frame being adapted to support said member in a rocking position and to be folded with said member attached into a substantially fiat storage position said spring means urging said frame into collapsed position; and means adapted to be positioned between said member and said frame for holding said member in a susbtantially operable position and opposing the collapsing force of said spring means.

12. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; a curved coil spring under continuous tension when in operable position connected to said member and adapted to support another portion thereof; a collapsible frame having said rigid rockable means and said spring connected thereo, said frame including folding sections being adapted to be folded into a substantially fiat storage position. v

9. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; a curved coil spring under continuous tension when in operable position connected to said member and adapted to support another portion thereof; a frame having said rigid rockable means and said spring connected thereto to supoprt said member in'a rocking position only when 'said spring is under tension; and a second rigid means and adapted to support another portion thereof; a frame having said rigid rockable means pivotally connected thereto and said springs connected thereto to support said member in a rocking position; and means including a pair of bars one end of each being adapted to be removably attached to said member adjacent the connection of said and means for locking said sections in an operable position thereby allowing rocking of said member, said frame sections with said member attached also adapted to be folded into a substantially fiat storage position; and a second rigid means adapted to be positioned between said member in an area supplementing said first rigid means and said frame in an area opposing the resilient support of said spring to hold said member in a substantially steady position.

13. A foldable rocking support, comprising: a body supporting member; a pair of rigid rockable means pivotally connected to said member and adapted to support a portion thereof; a pair of curved coil springs disposed in inward tapering angulation and under continuous tension when in operable position conected to said member and adapted to support another portion thereof; a collapsible frame having said rigid rockable means pivotally connected thereto and said springs connected thereto, said frame including pivotally folding sections and means for locking said sections in an operable position thereby allowing rocking of said member, said frame sections with said member attached also adapted to be folded into a substantially flat storage position; and means including a pair of bars one end of each being adapted to be removably attached to said member adjacent the connetion of said rigid rockable means to said member and the other end of each being adapted to be removably attached to said frame adjacent the connection of said springs thereto, said bars being adapted to hold said member in a substantially steady position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,798,733 Gill July 9, 1957 2,893,471 McClellan July 7, 1959 2,927,628 Gill Mar. 8, 1960 

